. hello. i'm jc hayward. thanks for joining us. secretary of state hillary clinton is leaving tonight for asia.

she will make a stop in china where it is believed that she will discuss a possible deal to free a chinese dissident. danielle nottingham reports the issue could become a diplomatic dilemma for the obama administration. >> reporter: the human activist is reportedly under u.s. protection possibly behind the walls of the american embassy in beijing. it's believed u.s. and chinese officials are now working out a deal that would allow him to leave the country. he is a blind self-taught lawyer who spent four years in jail after speaking out against forced abortions in china. he and his family have been under house arrest where they were beaten and harassed. last week he escaped and later released an internet plea to the chinese government. although i'm free, my worries are deepened, he says. my wife, mother and children are still in the guards' evil hands. the white house is not

commenting on chen's case but the obama administration nation as diplomatic crisis that could strain relations just days before important meetings between the u.s. and china. secretary of state hillary clinton and 200 other u.s. officials are scheduled to arrive in beijing later this week for talks on trade and the economy. one of clinton's top deputies is reportedly in china already to hammer out a deal for chen before the meetings begin. >> the best we can hope for is to negotiate safe passage to the airport and exit from the country. >> reporter: but those negotiations will be difficult for both sides. the obama administration must try to persuade the chinese to release the man they consider a criminal. danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. the european union is supporting chen's case and asking the chinese government to use restraint in that case. the man accused in a series of hammer attacks on people in

northwest washington is now in jail being held without bond. one of his alleged victims told surae chinn he didn't think anything was wrong till he was hit with a hammer. >> he walked to my side with a smile and said how you doing, sir? i said how you doing? >> reporter: he seemed normal? >> normal. he didn't look like a threat at all. >> the victim asked us not to show his face. he was hit in the head thursday afternoon and he didn't call police until he learned that michael davis had been arrested. he picked davis out of a lineup. according to police, davis used a hammer to attack five people. he killed one person and he'll be back in court next month. the man accused of killing a pregnant woman has a history of violence. 22-year-old nathan rogers was arrested on friday. he was on home detention for an assault conviction. according to police, he killed

23-year-old jasmine moss and police say that he was the father of her unborn baby. moss was three months pregnant. her body was found in a car in district heights. the sole survivor of a fiery crash in chevy chase, maryland is suing montgomery county police for more than $10 million. the lawsuit contends that a patrol car of caused the march 23 crash by ramming the toyota. 18-year-old rico richardson was riding in that toyota. richardson was in the front passenger seat. officers pulled richardson and the driver out of the burning car but the driver died days later. the two teenagers in the back seat died on the scene. richardson's suit says he suffered a fractured rib and emotional damage. a police spokesperson says the department believes that no police cruiser ever came into contact with the stolen toyota.

i now have a story that you will only see on 9news now. the quick thinking and actions of a teenager probably saved the lives of his elderly neighbors. their house was on fire. >> he ran up to the house and he was knocking on the door. oh, he was pounding on the door. >> louise seegars gave just town bowman a big -- justin bowman a big hug of thinks. they were in their home and unaware their house was on fire. that's until bowman saw the flames and smoke and alerted the couple. both were able to get out of the house without injury. if you see a team of police running through your neighborhood, do not be alarmed. it will be part of the county's

transforming neighborhoods initiative. >> reporter: 52 cadets warm up for today's workouts with a purpose. a run through langley park, a troubled neighborhood they could likely be serving after october's graduation. >> this community is largely an apartment complex community, mostly male, almost a hundred percent immigrant. they have a lot of challenges when it comes to health issues. they have a lot of challenges when it comes to alcohol dependence and drug addictions. >> reporter: the assisted -- assistant police chief and county executive are joining in on the run. the transforming neighborhoods program will involve six communities inside the beltway that have long been crime hot spots. the goal is to reach out to residents first here in langley park. >> they come from communities in elis a v.a. door and daughter -- el salvador and guatemala where there's a distrust of not only the police but the entire government. they come from corrupt countries. when they're here, the challenge is on us. >> reporter: there are about five more runs scheduled but

the county executive says the commitment will last well beyond the summer. >> it's about education, about health care, about social services, job opportunities and working with our nonprofit communities in these areas till we actually see them change. >> we do loot of things. we do -- a lot of things. gler community leaders hope residents will join their efforts to hit the pavement and bring change to their neighborhood. in langley park, delia goncalves, 9news now. >> the other locations for the two-mile run will be east riverdale, suedland, -- suitland, palmer park and glass manor. you knowdy care costs can -- you know, day care costs can really upset a family's budget. coming up on 9news now, we'll take you to one school that is giving youngsters a great head start without breaking the bank. >> reporter: republicans pass a student loan bill despite a veto threat. i'm tara mergener in washington with the latest on this

election year clash.

student loans have turned into an election year clash between republicans and the white house. tara mirnlgenner reports that -- mergener rompts that republican leaders have mixed the student loan issue with the debate over health care reform. >> reporter: millions of students like howard university sophomore derek simmons could graduate with more debt if congress allows the interest rate on federal student loans to double on july 1.

>> it's so hard being a college student. it's so hard trying to pay for college. >> reporter: during campus visits, president obama pushed lawmakers to take action. friday the house did. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: republicans pushed through a bill that eliminates a preventive care fund in president obama's health care law to pay for the rate cut extension. >> it is unconscionable the republican leadership is forcing us to choose between education and health care. >> reporter: the white house has promised to veto the g.o.p. bill daying is will -- saying it will hurt women who need preventative care. the house speaker accuses democrats of picking a campaign fight. >> nobody wants to see student loan interest rates go up. people want to politicize this because it's an election year. but my god, do we have to fight about everything? >> reporter: campaign watchers say the real battle may be for the youth vote key to president obama's election in 2008. this howard freshman says she's keeping a close eye on the

student loan rate issue. >> money is money and it's very tight right now. hopefully, you know, congress gets it right. >> reporter: she knows the outcome could affect her long after the 2012 campaign is over. tara mergener for cbs news, washington. >> senate democrats will bring their version of the bill up for debate in may. it has a tax hike on businesses. that's an approach that republicans oppose. coming up next, howard has the forecast. >> jc, it may be cool right now but we're really looking at a significant warm-up over the next few days. i do want to take you to the break with a look at the allergy update. that's come in. the tree pollen has come in hyena though the numbers are coming -- even though the numbers are coming down. i'll have the seven-day forecast. it's going to feel more like summer by the end of the week when 9news now returns.

i've been combing through the day's daily deals and retailer websites to save you some money. how about a tv on the go. bestbuy.com is selling a 9-inch portable lcdtv with a tuner and rechargeable battery. the price is $79.99 saving you $70 plus free shipping. this is an online only deal and limited quantities are available. >> if you like products at the body shop, you'll like this one on groupon. pay $10 and get $20 worth of

products in stores. >> and target's daily deal has one of your mother's day gifts covered. adorable fluffled aprons in a variety of colors. $12.99, a savings of $7 plus free shipping. for mother's day, how about you do the cooking. if you've -- if you have an offer you've seen or a local merchant with a deal for our viewers, i'd love to hear from you on facebook. i'm jessica doyle, 9news now. we are saluting seniors this week because we're getting ready for the innovations in aging expo. andrew berlin is 100 years old. he was born in new york. he spent his youth on staten island. he worked as a bank guard and he says the secret to a long life is that he never got married. he didn't have children. >> works for me. >> okay. so if you want more tips on aging, you will want to attend innovations in aging. the expo is being held at the gay lord national hotel may 3

through the 5th, thursday through saturday. i'm going to be there so come and join me. if you need a job, they're going to have employee there is who will hire you. they promised me that go to jchayward.com to get more information. jchayward.com. >> a job fair, cool. >> a senior job fair. i think it's wonderful. >> excellent. the weather, looks like i need my umbrella. >> it looks like that. today is not going to be the wet day. tomorrow and wednesday we have a chance for showers and storms. today the clouds have been hanging tough. that's keeping us from warming up all that much. i think we'll see some peeks of sunshine later this afternoon but right now we are socked in. the southeasterly flow at the surface. got a northwesterly flow aloft. the combination is keeping the cooler air up against the mountains. you get the clouds and temperatures will slowly climb into the mid- to upper 60s. there are going to be some areas well south of town and in western maryland, of the mountains that get into the 70s. tonight 62 at 9:00 p.m. southeast winds at 10 to 15

this afternoon. staying up tonight will mean it will be a lot milder than this morning when we dropped into the upper 30s in a few spots. you see what's happening. mountains are right here so the southeast winds hit the mountains. they lift. they cool. get some clouds and that's what's happening here. showers up in pennsylvania from pittsburgh north at this hour. they are going to stay away from us so i really don't think we're going to see any rain. look at the difference in temperatures under the clouds. we're in the 50s. the other side of the mountains almost 80 right now in charleston, lexington is 78. so that air mass is coming here tomorrow. so tomorrow we're going to see a big warm-up. we're going to stay 80 or better i think the rest of the week. today still only in the low 50s in leesburg, gaithersburg and frederick. petersburg, west virginia 65. luray 65 degrees. only 53 at andrews. almost like that cold air damming situation with we see in the winter.

a gray noon. the air is pretty dry right now here. this is going to change. winds go southerly. so more moisture heads our way. look at these showers and storms coming into arkansas and missouri. they're weakening some in illinois right now, but this whole system is tracking toward us. that's why tonight we may see a shower. looks like a decent chance for some showers and storms around tomorrow. even wednesday in spots we can't rule out that we're going to see some of these storms here. here's our future cast, 5:00 still pretty quiet. showers may pop in the heat of west virginia. tonight we may get the isolated showers to come through during the overnight. tomorrow morning some of us could be wet by 6:00 a.m. that passes in the morning. more showers and potential storms for parts of the middle of the day and the afternoon. so some scattered showers and storms. highs around 80 and about the same on wednesday. and thursday and friday look drier and hotter. today 68. tonight only in the 50s to

around 60. tomorrow 80 degrees with scattered showers and storms. low 80s perhaps on wednesday. still a chance for showers and storms. then by thursday and friday, we have to break out the summer gear. 86 on thursday. 88 friday. slight chance we'll see a couple of storms in the afternoon mainly saturday and sunday with temperatures still above 80. jc, back to you. you know there is a preschool center in falls church that has an average wait list of two years. it may sound like a place for those who can pay full tuition for their 2 to 5-year-old. actually it's much more than that. on today's hero central, i'm going to take a look at the falls church-mclean children's center. the kids have fun following the teacher on bikes. they're also practicing their motor skills. >> my daughter has learned how to play with friends, how to help friends and also she learn

-- is learning academic things, too. >> susannah says the falls church machine mclean center gives her daughter the ideal environment to get ready for school, especially when her family could not pay the full tuition, $1400 a month. >> they're working. they cannot afford the high cost of child care. and so this is the assistance our families get. >> the center reserves almost half of its enrollment to serving youngsters who qualify for subsidized true television from fairfax -- subsidized tuition from fairfax county. >> it depends on their income and family size. >> affordable child care gives disadvantaged youngsters a chance to get prepared in a quality learning environment so they don't have to fall behind when they start school. >> it's really remarkable because children do change so

quickly. often when they come, they don't speak any english. when they leave, they're fluent in english. they've been exposed to all the opportunities to help them be prepared for kindergarten. >> the center has not only benefited the child, it has also helped her mother who immigrated from ecuador. >> i'm working in this center. i'm so happy because the tools or the skills they give us is very, very good because we try to understand the special kids when they need special needs. >> all the teachers have certifications or degrees in early childhood education. occupational therapists and speech therapists are also on hand. >> if we're concerned about a child's development, we can have them evaluated right here, and they get the therapy that they need right here. >> susannah says specialists found a speech delay in her son but after therapy he's doing

well in grade school and now with her daughter attending the center, mom has noticed that her little girl is looking forward to the classroom. >> when i said you need to stay home, she said no, i need to go to my school. my teachers are waiting for me. it's true, they're waiting for her. >> the falls church-mclean children's center is open all year. it caters to children 2 to 5 years old. if you'd like more information, go to my website jchayward.com. the news is going to continue in just a moment. stay with us.

today i am one on one with mary lou dell, a sales associate with wc miller long & foster and she has great news for us. today we're talking about the housing market. mary lou says now is the time to sell and buy. why? why do you say that? >> well, because for seller, the inventory is down and,

therefore, we're seeing bidding wars. we're seeing multiple offers. and things are selling under contract very quickly. >> so it's a strong housing market? this is the first time this has happened. >> to really back it up, in our office, the reports show that what we had for march is reminding us of what it was like five and six years ago and it's even better. april is supposed to be even better than march. >> that's wonderful. let's talk about areas. are there any specific areas where the housing market is doing better than others? >> they're all pretty much on par. >> they are? >> yes. even virginia. when we were going down, virginia went down some more than, say, maryland or montgomery county or d.c. but they are doing gang busters. >> d.c. is doing very well, i

know. >> yes. >> i guess part of this has to do with the economy getting better. >> the economy is getting better. we have interest rates at historically low. >> they've stayed low. that's great. >> i've checked time and again for different customers. you know, when you have an interest rate below 4%, i can't remember hardly when we had seen it so continuously. >> at one time people were focusing -- let's not buy a house now because of the price. let's rent. but now that's turned around. >> and i think more and more people are seeing that it's possible for them to buy. they have the low interest rates. you also see a lot with fha, federal housing administration mortgages where you have -- you can put down less than, you know, but it's a government program that makes it possible. >> so if you're looking for a

house, now is the time to buy while those interest rates are very low in the metropolitan area. prices are great because sellers are putting reasonable prices on their houses. buy a house now. mary lou, thank you for being with us. thank you for being with us. we hope you'll come back and visit us at 5:00 p.m. and go to jchayward.com. thank you.